Polyaryletherketone (PEAK) is a polymer family that consist of a series of phenylene groups connected by ether and carbonyl groups (ketone) bonds. In accordance with different connection orders and proportions of ether bonds, ketone groups and benzene groups in a molecular chain, the polyaryletherketone can form many different polymers, mainly including five categories: poly etherketone, poly etheretherketone, poly etheretherketoneketone, polyetherketoneketone and polyetherketoneetherketoneketone. As a family of thermoplastic heat-resistant polymers, the polyaryletherketone has a higher glass transition temperature and melting point, long term application temperature can be as high as 250° C. while short term operating temperature can reach 300° C. This kind of polymer is hardly decomposed at 400° C. for a short period of time. Due to the excellent mechanical performance, chemical corrosion resistance, radiation resistance, flame resistance, abrasion resistance, impact resistance etc,. the PEAK polymers have being seen increasingly to replace metal as engineering materials for a range of industry including aerospace and nuclear industry. Another unique property of PAEK is its good biocompatibility. It is also resistant to bioreaction, so a good biomaterial for medical device applications.
By forming a PAEK composite, the performance of the polymer composite is further improved, which is inevitably extended it to a wider range of applications as an engineering material. Inorganic filler in the composite has enhanced thermal properties and anti-wearing and biocompatibility properties comparing to the virgin PAEK. So it is seen more development work on forming PAEK composites. The composite technology used to improve the PAEK include adding rigid fillers, fibre and or in combination with copolymerization. Reports and patents about PAEK composites of ten use such technology by adding reinforcing materials into the PAEK matrix, which include glass fiber, carbon fiber, carbon powder, carbon nanotube, graphene , silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminium oxide, calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, zeolite. The forming technology mainly employed is thermal processing to mechanically mixing PAEK with a reinforcement material to form a composite product, such as using compression molding technology. For example, in the patent “Abrasion-Resistant Polyaryletherketone Composite and development methods ” (application Number CN201310210216.5), it disclose a technology that used carbon fiber, lubricant, nano graphite powder plus other ingredients to be mechanically mixed with PAEK at a high temperature of about 350° C. Another example is the patent “Composite, Electronic Device processing and forming technology” (Application Number CN201180038632.1), It has used the same mmethod through mechanical mixing of an inorganic material with PAEK. However, one of the fundamental flaw employing the physical mixing method is that it creates at least two problems: (1) nonuniform dispersion of inorganic nano/micron particles in the polymer matrix; and (2) thermal degradation of organic materials is inevitable during high temperature melting, mechanical blending and thermal processing so that leads to weakening the mechanical properties of the virgin PAEK polymer.